


I don't want to disappoint you

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 00:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20480120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: When sickness strikes, Ethan is forced to come clean about his feelings for a certain resident.





	I don't want to disappoint you

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!  
I got an amazing request from the amazing @stanathanxoox on Tumblr, so amazing, go check their blog out <3  
It's a little angsty, definitely fluffy and a true pleasure to write  
Enjoy! <3

Evening was quiet, after a whole day spent in his apartment, moving between kitchen and bedroom. Ethan didn’t let Claire get away for long, managing to pull her back to him every time. When the day came to its close, and the sun has set, a happy couple has found themselves on the couch. Somewhere during the day Claire felt dizzy and as time went on, she felt only worse. Ethan, being Ethan and a doctor, pinned her to the couch and refused to let her move, claiming that she needs to rest. Her state didn’t improve though, it even managed to deteriorate, with fever and headache joining her previous symptoms. He sat down next to her, stroking her cheek affectionally.

“Maybe we should drive to the hospital?” he muttered, watching how her face twisted at the mention of their workplace.

“I’m fine, let’s not be paranoid. I just need to sleep a little, I’ll be as good as new by morning.” She sighed, rising out of her makeshift bed on the couch, not without a struggle. He wanted to help her stand up, but she stubbornly refused, wanting more than anything to prove to him that she was okay and that everything was the way it was supposed to be.

She turned towards his bedroom and started walking, without looking back at him. He stayed by the couch, watching with a concerned look on his face as the woman he cared about moved slowly through the long hall. In a blink, the situation turned from bad to worse, as her legs gave out from under her and she fell to the ground with a sickening sound.

“Damn it!” he cursed beneath his breath, running to her side. He touched her face, her skin burning his own, then checked her breathing and her pulse. He made a quick decision to turn her into the safe position for a short while, just until he got his car keys and his phone, then ran right back to her side and picked her up, rushing out the door to get them to the hospital. Having reclined the passenger’s seat so he could lay her down safely, he fastened her seat belt and got into the car himself, driving towards the hospital.

He had no idea what happened, nor what would happen. They have been seeing each other in secret for the past three months, trying and failing to stay away from each other. It wasn’t the easiest, but it was certainly worth it, and if hiding their relationship was the price they had to pay to be happy, then they were ready to do just that. But in a situation he was currently in, there was only so much he could do. How was he supposed to explain why she was unconscious or why he was the one to find her? All the questions swarmed his head, but the first thing on his mind was to get her the help she needed as fast as he could.

“Hang on, Claire, we’re almost there.” he said, his throat closing as he felt the helplessness take over his body. He reached for her with one hand, squeezing her arms softly as he moved through the streets of Boston.

In record time, he reached the hospital and got her out of the car, practically running towards the entrance. Two nurses spotted him and jumped in to help, guiding him to the bed in the ER.

“Dr. Ramsey?” he heard his name and turned around to see Dr. Varma, standing behind him with a confused look on her face. “What happened? Why are you here?” her eyes shifted to Claire, laying on the bed, still unconscious. “Oh my god, Claire!” she jumped to her side, turning to the nurse. “I’ll take her. What exactly happened?”

“Dr. Ramsey brought her in five minutes ago, she’s unresponsive, from initial examination we know she has a high fever. Is there anything else we need to know?” nurse reported, turning to look at Ethan.

“Uh, she was dizzy and she complained about headache. Oh, and she did get sick once or twice, but we thought it was connected to the dizziness.” He hesitated before answering. He knew that he basically confirmed they were together at some point of the day, and judging by Jackie’s eyebrow that shot up, she suspected something.

“Okay, let’s get her bloodwork done and check her vitals, just to be sure. Dr. Ramsey, can I talk to you?” she turned to the nurse, nodding her head, before walking out the door, not checking if Ethan followed her. Once they were outside, in the less busy part of the hospital, Jackie turned to him with a clear face.

“Care to tell me what exactly happened? How did you even know what was happening to her throughout the day? Let alone you bringing her here, were you two working on a case together?” she questioned him, ignoring the scowl on his face at her tone. His face paled a little, lost in his head. What could he say that would lead the woman before him away from the idea of anything happening between him and a blonde doctor?

“I- we… were… working” he struggled to find his words, clearly lying. Jackie shook her head impatiently.

“I don’t have time for this. It’s good that you found her and brought her in, I’ll take over from here. Goodnight, Dr. Ramsey.” Without sparing him another look, she walked back into the room. He tried to follow her, but was stopped at the door by a nurse.

“We’ve got this, Dr. Ramsey, please head home, there is nothing you can do here.”

With a heavy sigh he sat down on the chair, waiting and waiting, restless. For the hours to come, he would be kept in the dark, as he couldn’t check on her, and nothing left the room. Finally, around three in the morning, she was moved from the ER to her private room, wheeled out on her bed. Still unconscious, looking as though she was sleeping, but he knew better. He shot up to his feet, following her, trying to ask about her state.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Ramsey, but I can’t disclose any information.” A woman in her late thirties shook her head, clearly seeing just how much the whole situation affected him.

“But I’m a doctor here.” He tried arguing, looking from Claire to the nurse and back.

“You’re not on her case. And you’re not her family. I’m terribly sorry, but until she wakes up, I can’t tell you anything. Excuse me.” She sent him a pensive smile and disappeared behind the door again.

He fell against the wall, closing his eyes. He hated the way this whole situation was unfolding, hated the helplessness he was feeling. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could say to gain any new information, and that frustrated him beyond words. A slight touch on his shoulder gained his attention, and when he turned around, he saw Naveen, watching him curiously.

“What are you doing here this late? Isn’t it your day off? You love work that much that you decided to come to the hospital in the middle of the night and stand by the door to your patient’s room?” he laughed, not noticing the conflict in the expression of a younger doctor. “What’s wrong? Come on, let’s go to my office, we’ll talk there.”

Their walk went by in silence, and when the door closed behind them, Ethan breathed shakily. Naveen observed him with confusion and concern, but didn’t dare to speak, giving him time and space he needed.

“It’s Claire. She collapsed, I have no idea why. She’s been feeling under the weather for the whole day, I made her stay in bed, but she only got worse, and when she stood up she… lost her consciousness and I brought her here. And _no one _wants to tell me what is going on with her, cause I’m not on her case and I’m not her family and-“

“Ethan, you seem really concerned. Calm down, she’s going to be fine, and back to work in no time.” He tried to cheer him up, completely missing the point. Ethan took a deep breath, not entirely believing that he was about to do this.

“Naveen, you don’t understand. I-“ he paused, feeling his mentor’s eyes on his back. “We’ve been seeing each other. Claire and I. For three months now, in secret, because I’m her supervisor. That’s why I was with her today. And I am scared that she’s going to be hurt even more. I tried to help her, but she only got worse, and then she collapsed and-“ he had to stop, feeling the panic rising in his chest. His breathing got uneven, turning towards Naveen with wet eyes. His next words came out as a whisper of a broken man. “I can’t lose her, Naveen.”

“And you won’t. She’s strong, and she has someone to come back to.” he approached Ethan, placing his hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you two were this… close. Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s unethical. We both know it, we both tried to end it, to stay away from this, from each other but… it just didn’t work. I can’t stay away from her, I _don’t want to_.” he confessed, falling heavily onto the chair by the desk.

“I don’t think it’s the end of the world. It’s not like either of you want to gain anything from the relationship. I can see it, clear as day in your eyes. You have feelings for her, no question there.”

Ethan stood up, feeling a little lighter. A few minutes later he was back in front of her room, door still closed. Sitting down on a chair, he let his head fall onto the wall, his eyes closing only for a moment…

…until he felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him softly.

“Dr. Ramsey? Dr. Ramsey, wake up, sir.” Sienna’s voice pulled him out of his dreamless slumber.

“Oh, um, sorry, I was just-“

“It’s okay, Dr. Ramsey. I saw how worried you were and decided to give you a small update.” She smiled at him, and the way his eyes snapped wide open when she mentioned Claire made her smile even wider. “So, she’s still unconscious, but we know what happened. An infection, combined with exhaustion. She was a little overworked, should wake up in the next few hours. Don’t worry, Dr. Ramsey, she’s going to be just fine.”

“Thank you.” he breathed a sigh of relief, swearing to make her take more breaks when she wakes up.

It was another four hours of him sitting restlessly by her room, before a nurse walked out and turned to him.

“Dr. Ramsey, Dr. Herondale woke up, she’s asking for you.”

He took a deep breath, opening the door and closing them behind him, his eyes finding hers immediately. He sat down by her bed, taking her hand in his with a pensive smile, fighting his exhaustion.

“Hi.” He whispered, stroking her palm with his thumb.

“Hey.” She giggled, watching him from beneath her lashes. She combed his hair with her fingers softly, watching as his eyes fell shut.

“I was so worried. And no one would tell me anything, because I am not your doctor and I’m not your family.” His voice cracked a little, his speech slurred from lack of sleep.

“Did you not sleep? At all?” he nodded his head without a word. “Ethan, you can’t do that to yourself, you have to rest.”

“Like you do?” he whispered, broken as their eyes met again. “You collapsed because of an infection and exhaustion. You’ve been overworking yourself, Claire. Why didn’t you tell me you were tired?”

“Because I’m not doing enough. You put so much faith in me, you put away your ethical reasons to be with me, and I-“ she shrugged, avoiding his gaze. “I just didn’t want to disappoint you.” she finished, her voice small and vulnerable.

He raised their joined hands to his lips, pressing a tender kiss to her palm. Her head was turned to the side, refusing to look at him, ashamed of how she felt. Sudden wetness on her skin made her whip around, just in time to see another tear slide down his cheek.

“Are you crying? Oh, please don’t, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset.” She breathed, wiping the tears away with her thumb, cupping his cheek with her hand. He shook his head, kissing her palm before nuzzling into her touch.

“I am _so_ proud of you, Claire. You’re an exceptional doctor, an amazing human being, you put up with me and my humors. I put so much faith in you, in _us_, because I know that what we have is real and right. I wouldn’t be going against myself if I didn’t. And I wouldn’t make you go against yourself either.” He smiled a little wider, her lips twitching in a ghost of a smile too. “I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to make sure you take breaks and sleep enough, even if I have to do all those things with you.”

At that she laughed, first laughter since she woke up, and her giddiness transferred onto him. Ethan leaned up, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Claire grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him in for a real kiss, their lips attaching to each other. Softness of their feelings, combined with the exhaustion that lingered in their bodies, made for a kiss that lacked precision, but was full of emotions nonetheless. She broke the kiss with a tired smile.

“Lay with me? I want to sleep, and I know you won’t go home, but you have to sleep too.” She saw the hesitation in his eyes and pressed a peck to his cheek. “I sleep better with you by my side.”

He nodded, removing his shoes before slipping into the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged herself to his side. Ethan kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes with a contented smile.

“I’m so happy you’re okay.”

\--- --- ---

A small crowd has formed by the door of one of the rooms. Nurses and doctors, it didn’t matter. Everyone was curious as to what the commotion was about. At the front stood Sienna along with her friends, watching the touching scene at the bed.

Dr. Ramsey, holding Dr. Herondale tightly in his arms, both deeply in sleep. By the way they were holding onto each other it wasn’t hard to guess just what type of a relationship the two had.

“I mean, are you really that surprised?” Sienna questioned, laughter and fond smiles erupting from her friends as they left the couple alone to rest.


End file.
